Germany v Italy background

Germany will look to reverse the tide of history when they take on Italy in the third UEFA EURO 2016 quarter-final in Bordeaux.

• Italy have never lost to Germany/West Germany in a competitive fixture and have beaten them in three semi-finals, including at UEFA EURO 2012.

• Three-time winners Germany have won all of their five UEFA European Championship quarter-finals while Italy, champions in 1968, have won two and lost two of their four last-eight ties.

• Italy and Germany: a one-way love affair
• Five great EURO quarter-finals

Previous meetings
• Italy have posted almost twice as many wins as Germany in their 30 previous encounters, their record reading W15 D10 L8 F49 A40.

• Germany, however, claimed a 4-1 friendly victory over Italy in Munich on 30 March – their first success against the Azzurri since a 2-0 friendly win in Zurich in June 1995.

• Goals from Toni Kroos (24), Mario Götze (45), Jonas Hector (59) and Mesut Özil (75pen) secured that notable triumph for the world champions, Italy's sole response an 83rd-minute effort from Stephan El Shaarawy.

• The teams at the Fußball Arena München were:
Germany: Ter Stegen, Rüdiger, Mustafi, Hummels, Rudy, Özil, Kroos (Kramer 90), Hector (Ginter 85), Müller (Can 69), Götze (Reus 61), Draxler (Volland 85).
Italy: Buffon, Darmian, Bonucci (Ranocchia 61), Acerbi, Florenzi (De Silvestri 61), Montolivo, Motta (Parolo 68), Giaccherini (El Shaarawy 69), Bernardeschi, Zaza (Antonelli 78), Insigne (Okaka 68).

• The countries also played out a 1-1 friendly draw at San Siro, Milan on 15 November 2013. Mats Hummels's eighth-minute strike for the visitors was cancelled out by Ignazio Abate (28).

• Italy have come out on top when it mattered most, beating Germany 2-1 in the UEFA EURO 2012 semi-finals in Warsaw. Mario Balotelli scored twice (20, 36) with a late Özil penalty (90+2) in vain for Germany.

• The sides at the Stadion Narodowy on 28 June 2012 were:
Germany: Neuer, Hummels, Badstuber, Lahm, Boateng (Müller 71), Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Özil, Kroos, Podolski (Reus 46), Gomez (Klose 46).
Italy: Buffon, Chiellini, Balzaretti, Barzagli, Bonucci, Marchisio, De Rossi, Montolivo (Motta 63), Pirlo, Balotelli (Di Natale 69), Cassano (Diamanti 58).

• Italy's competitive record against Germany is four wins and four draws.

• The Azzurri were 2-0 victors over Germany in Dortmund in the 2006 FIFA World Cup semi-finals thanks to goals late in extra time from Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero. Gianluigi Buffon was in goal for Italy; Lukas Podolski and substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger featured for Germany.

• Italy and West Germany's 1970 World Cup semi-final was a classic won by the Azzurri 4-3 after extra time.

Marco Tardelli's famous 1982 celebration©Getty Images

• Italy overcame West Germany 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu in the 1982 World Cup final, their 40-year-old captain and goalkeeper Dino Zoff lifting the trophy.

• Germany goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke saved a penalty when the teams met in the EURO '96 group stage, a 0-0 draw eliminating Italy.

EURO facts: Germany
• Germany have not conceded in five straight matches (including four at UEFA EURO 2016) since a 3-1 pre-tournament friendly loss to Slovakia.

• This is Germany's first game in Bordeaux; German clubs' record in the city in 14 UEFA away fixtures against FC Girondins de Bordeaux reads W4 D1 L9.

• Die Mannschaft are participating in their 12th successive EURO since missing out on the final tournament as West Germany in 1968, their first attempt at qualifying.

• EURO winners in 1972, 1980 and 1996 – and three-time runners-up – Germany were last absent from the semi-finals in 2004, when they did not survive the group stage.

EURO facts: Italy
• The matchday three defeat by the Republic of Ireland halted a run of four consecutive victories for Antonio Conte's side, during which they had not let in a single goal. They have nevertheless won five of their last six matches, keeping a clean sheet in every victory.

• This is Italy's ninth EURO final tournament and their sixth in a row since sitting out the 1992 edition in Sweden. Only twice have they failed to advance through the group stage – in 1996 and 2004.

• Italy won the 1968 EURO and have been runners-up twice since – in 2000 and 2012.

• Italy (W7 D3) were among four teams unbeaten in qualifying alongside England, Austria and Romania. The Italians also have the longest ongoing UEFA European Championship qualifying unbeaten run, having avoided defeat in their last 30 qualifying fixtures.

• This is Italy's second trip to Bordeaux following a 2-2 group-stage draw with Chile at the 1998 World Cup. Italian clubs' away record against Girondins de Bordeaux is W4 D1 L3 – all games at the Stade Chaban-Delmas. 

Coach and player links
• Current team-mates:
Sami Khedira with Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Stefano Sturaro, Simone Zaza (Juventus)

• Mario Gomez and Federico Bernardeschi have both been on the books at Fiorentina since 2013, though the Italian played on loan at Crotone in 2013/14 and Gomez spent last season with Beşiktaş.

• As a club coach, Löw lost 3-2 on aggregate to Parma in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup first round with Fenerbahçe, and 4-2 on aggregate to Fiorentina with Wacker Innsbruck in the 2001/02 second round.

• Gianluigi Buffon, Barzagli, Bonucci, Sturaro and unused substitute Simone Zaza were in the Juventus side beaten 6-4 on aggregate by Bayern München in the latest UEFA Champions League round of 16. Thomas Müller scored in both the 2-2 first-leg draw in Turin and Bayern's 4-2 extra-time win in Munich; Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich also figured for Bayern, with Mario Götze on the bench both times.

• Müller also scored past Buffon when Bayern beat Juve in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

• Götze set up both goals when eventual champions Germany beat Italy in the 2009 European U17 Championship semi-finals.

• In the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League group stage, Müller struck as Bayern inflicted a 2-0 defeat on Daniele De Rossi's Roma in Munich. Come the return in Rome, Gomez netted twice but De Rossi converted an 81st-minute equaliser as Roma overturned a two-goal deficit to win 3-2.

• Gomez scored past Buffon when Bayern eliminated Juventus from the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League with a 4-1 group-stage victory in Turin. Chiellini was also in the losing team.

• Barzagli played for Wolfsburg between 2008 and 2011, winning the Bundesliga in his first season.

Penalty shoot-outs
• Germany's penalty shoot-out record is W5 L1:
3-5 v Czechoslovakia, 1976 UEFA European Championship final
5-4 v France, 1982 FIFA World Cup semi-final
4-1 v Mexico, 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter-final
4-3 v England, 1990 FIFA World Cup semi-final
6-5 v England, EURO '96 semi-final
4-2 v Argentina, 2006 FIFA World Cup quarter-final

• Italy's shoot-out record is W3 L4:
3-4 v Argentina, 1990 FIFA World Cup semi-final
2-3 v Brazil, 1994 FIFA World Cup final
3-4 v France, 1998 FIFA World Cup quarter-final
3-1 v Netherlands, UEFA EURO 2000 semi-final
5-3 v France, 2006 FIFA World Cup final
2-4 v Spain, UEFA EURO 2008 quarter-final
4-2 v England, UEFA EURO 2012 quarter-final